THEPACIFICOCEAN. 193 



The very inftant I leaped on fliore, the collected body of the '778- 



. . January^ 



natives all fell flat upon their faces, and remained in that » — -v — * 

 very humble pofture, till, by exprefTive figns, I prevailed 

 upon them to rife. They then brought a great many fmall 

 pigs, which they prefented to me, with plantain-trees, 

 ufmg much the fame ceremonies that we had feen prac- 

 tifed, on fuch occafions, at the Society and other iflands ; 

 and a long prayer being fpoken by a fingle perfon, in which 

 others of the afTembly fometims joined. I exprcfl'ed my ac- 

 ceptance of their proffered friendfliip, by giving them, in 

 return, fuch prefents as I had brought wiih me from the 

 fliip for that purpofe. When this introducftory bufinefs was 

 finifhed, I llationed a guard upon the beach, and got fome 

 of the natives to conduct me to the water, whicli proved to 

 be very good, and in a proper fituation for our purpofe. It 

 was fo confiderable, that it may be called a lake ; and it ex- 

 tended farther up the country than we could fee. Having 

 fatisfied myfelf about this very efPential point, and about the 

 peaceable difpofition of the natives, I returned on board j 

 and then gave orders that every thing fliould be in readi- 

 nefs for landing and filling our water-cafks in the morning; Wcdnef. zi, 

 when I went afliore with the people employed in that fervice, 

 having a party of mariners with us for a guard, who were 

 ilationcd on the beach. 



As foon as we landed, a trade was fet on foot for hogs 

 and potatoes, which the people of the ifland gave us in ex- 

 change for nails and pieces of iron, formed into fomething 

 like chiilels. We met with no obftru^lion in watering ; on 

 the contrary, the natives afliiled our men in rolling the 

 cafks to and from the pool j and readily performed.^what- 

 ever we required. Every thmg thus going on to my fatis- 

 fad;ion, and confidering my prefence on the fpot as unne- 



ceifary, 



